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SeaQuest DSV
seaQuest DSV was an NBC network science fiction series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. The show aired from September 12, 1993 to June 9, 1996, lasting for three seasons & 57 episodes. It was produced by Amblin Television and Universal Television. Plot The series followed the adventures of the high-tech submarine called seaQuest DSV 4600, a deep submergence vehicle that is operated by the United Earth Oceans Organization (UEO), a global coalition of up-world countries and undersea confederations, similar to the United Nations. Cast Season 1 *Roy Scheider as Captain Nathan Bridger (47 episodes) *Jonathan Brandis as Lucas Wolenczak20 (57 episodes) *Stephanie Beacham as Dr. Kristin Westphalen (22 episodes) *Stacy Haiduk as Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitchcock (23 episodes) *Don Franklin as Commander Jonathan Ford (56 episodes) *John D'Aquino as Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg (22 episodes) *Royce D. Applegate as Chief Manilow Crocker (22 episodes) *Ted Raimi as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill (54 episodes) *Marco Sanchez as Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz (40 episodes) *Frank Welker as voice of Darwin *Dr. Bob Ballard as himself, marine trivia during credits Season 2 *Rosalind Allen as Dr. Wendy Smith (19 episodes) *Edward Kerr as Lieutenant James Brody (26 episodes) *Michael DeLuise as Seaman Anthony Piccolo (33 episodes) *Kathy Evison as Lieutenant Lonnie Henderson (32 episodes) *Peter DeLuise as Dagwood (31 episodes) Season 3 *Michael Ironside as Captain Oliver Hudson (13 episodes) *Elise Neal as Lieutenant J.J. Fredericks (10 episodes) Production In the first-season finale of "SeaQuest DSV", Bridger sacrifices the seaQuest to prevent an ecological disaster and for a short time it was not known if the show would be renewed for another season. The show had suffered in the ratings, as it was pitted against "Murder, She Wrote" on CBS and "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" on ABC. When it was decided that the show would return, NBC and Universal used this opportunity to change the show's format, beginning by relocating the show's production from Los Angeles to Orlando. Several cast changes were also made as both Royce D. Applegate and John D'Aquino were released by NBC as the network wanted a younger cast for the second season; D'Aquino subsequently returned for a guest appearance in the third season. Stacy Haiduk informed producers that she did not wish to relocate to Orlando for the second season, having just returned to Los Angeles after spending four years in Florida during the production of "The Adventures of Superboy". Stephanie Beacham (who as Dr. Westphalen was one of the first season's strongest characters) was also hesitant to relocate to Florida. Beacham also blamed continued disputes between the network and the show's producers as a major reason why she did not return. Joining the series for season two were Edward Kerr as Lieutenant James Brody, seaQuest's weapons officer; Kathy Evison as Lieutenant Lonnie Henderson, ship's helmsman; Rosalind Allen as Dr. Wendy Smith, the boat's new chief medical officer; Michael DeLuise as Seaman Anthony Piccolo, an ex-convict who has genetically engineered gills and Peter DeLuise as Dagwood, a prototype genetically engineered life form (G.E.L.F. or "dagger"—a racial slur) who serves as seaQuest's custodian. As the seaQuest itself was rebuilt in the storyline, it allowed for the sets to be redesigned for the new Florida location and a shortened version of the Emmy award winning main title theme was instituted as the series returned to the airwaves on September 18, 1994 with the two-hour television movie season premiere, "Daggers". NBC and the show's producers also decided they wanted more traditionally science-fiction oriented episodes this season, a direction that was explored toward the end of the first season when seaQuest discovered a million-year-old alien ship entombed in the ocean floor in the episode "Such Great Patience." The second season explored heavy science-fiction concepts such as genetic engineering, aliens, parapsychology, time travel and various "monsters of the week" (including killer plants, a giant fire-breathing worm, a prehistoric crocodile and an ancient demon.) Roy Scheider was vocal in his anger at the show's new direction. In an interview given during the second season, he said: "It's childish trash... I am very bitter about it. I feel betrayed... It's (the new season) not even good fantasy. I mean, Star Trek does this stuff much better than we can do it. To me the show is now 21 Jump Street meets Star Dreck." Scheider felt that the series had strayed too far away from its premise, and that he "became more of a combat commander than a scientific commander and I hadn't signed up for that." He added that after moving production to Florida, the show was "going to present human beings who had a life on land as well as on the boat... we've had one script that has done that (the episode 'Vapors')," Scheider said. "The other shows are Saturday afternoon 4 o'clock junk for children. Just junk—old, tired, time-warp robot crap (making reference to the much maligned episode "Playtime")." As Scheider explained, "I don't do this kind of stuff... I said (to the production executives), 'If I wanted to do the fourth generation of Star Trek, I would have signed up for it. I wouldn't have done seaQuest. You guys have changed it from handball into field hockey and never even bothered to talk to me.'" Scheider's comments left him in trouble with some of the executive producers, including Patrick Hasburgh who, in reply, had strong words for Scheider as well: "I'm sorry he is such a sad and angry man. seaQuest is going to be a terrific show, and he is lucky to be part of it." By the end of season two, "seaQuest DSV" was again suffering, partly attributed to a perceived decrease in the quality of the writing as well as preemptions by NBC due to sports coverage. The possibility of cancellation appeared likely, but NBC kept the show in production after plans for a new series titled "Rolling Thunder" to replace "seaQuest" DSV were canceled. Producer Lee Goldberg claimed the new series was canceled because the premise was "awful." The second season finale (which was written as a possible series finale) involved the seaQuest and her crew being abducted by aliens and forced into a civil war on an alien world where the ship appeared to be destroyed and the crew presumed dead. Blaming continued disputes with producers and abandonment of the show's original premise, Roy Scheider requested to be released from his contract with NBC. However, the network only partially agreed and demanded that Bridger would make several appearances throughout the third season. Edward Kerr had been very frustrated with the episode entitled "Alone" (reportedly, Kerr hated the script so much that he walked off the set, which is why Brody does not appear in that episode) and also wished to exit the series in the third season, which is why his character was critically injured in the season finale, "Splashdown." However, NBC would only agree to release Kerr from his contract if he continued to play Brody for a few episodes in the third season so his character could be killed off for more dramatic impact in the episode "SpinDrift." (Because of rescheduling, the episode "Brainlock", with Brody still alive, aired after the character's death.) Rosalind Allen was released as her character proved to be unpopular with the audience and because producers felt that her character's telepathic abilities wouldn't fit with more serious tone planned for the new season. Marco Sanchez (who had requested to remain with the series) was also released after NBC decided it wanted the principal cast number dropped from ten to nine, leaving Jonathan Brandis, Don Franklin and Ted Raimi as the only three cast members who remained with the show since the first episode. The marine trivia presentations at the end of the show, formerly hosted by oceanographer Dr. Bob Ballard in the first season and the principal cast in the second season, were dropped entirely. The show itself was renamed to "seaQuest 2032" with the storyline pushed ahead ten years after the end of season two. In the season three premiere, the seaQuest reappears on Earth, its crew mostly intact, ten years after their abduction at the end of season two. Captain Bridger retires to raise his new grandson and Michael Ironside joins the cast as the more militaristic Captain Oliver Hudson. Originally, Ironside refused to take over from Scheider as star of the series. "I saw so many problems that I couldn't see where I'd be able to do the work I wanted to do," claimed Ironside. Also considered for the lead of the series was actor Jonathan Banks, who had previously appeared in the first season episode "Whale Songs" as radical environmentalist Maximilian Scully. After weeks of negotiations where Ironside offered producers a number of changes to the storytelling structure of the series, which were agreed upon, he finally signed on. ''"You won't see me fighting any man-eating glowworms, rubber plants, 40-foot crocodiles and I don't talk to Darwin." ''he said. Though not cast as the new lead of the series, Jonathan Banks would reprise his character of Scully in the third season. Also joining the cast was Elise Neal as Lieutenant J.J. Fredericks, who serves as seaQuest's sub-fighter pilot. Steering story lines back towards more reality-based themes, the third season attempted to blend the sense of the first season with some of the unique elements of the second season, while at the same time, pushing forward in an entirely new direction altogether as the UEO faces the threat of the Macronesian Alliance and the ever growing corporate conglomerate Deon International. The series is perceived as becoming much darker than it was in the previous two seasons, focusing less on science as it had in the first season and science fiction as it had in the second season and more on international politics. Although these changes were met with mostly positive reactions, the ratings did not improve and NBC cancelled the series after thirteen episodes. The final network airing of "seaQuest 2032" took place on June 9, 1996 after 57 episodes. Category:NBC TV shows Category:1990s television series Category:Science Fiction Category:1993 Category:1994 Category:1995 Category:1996